Poland’s Centurion have been around for a while, but this is only the band’s second effort since their 2002 debut, Conquer & Rule, which I have not heard. Stylistically the band play typically competent Polish death metal with a solid Floridian (Morbid Angel/Deicide) influence and in fact, the band covered Morbid Angel‘s “Day of Suffering” on their debut CD.

There’s no0thihg truly stellar or groundbreaking about Serve No One, but that’s not what this style of death metal is about. What it is about is violent, vitriolic and anti Christian themes rendered trough equally violent and vitriolic music, and that Centurion do very competently. The production is robust and compact, the vocals are rooted firmly in the Glen Benton school of demonic layering of deep bellows and fierce screeches and as you’d expect from Poland, a no nonsense, percussive battery of death metal.

The band’s innate sound has shades of Vader, Lost Soul, Hate, Trauma, Behemoth and others, and when sprinkled with the Floridian compactness and flourishes, the end result is very solid. Serve No One blows with efficient savagery in a little under half an hour a (which is perfect as anything over half an hour and I think things would have sounded an bit stagnant and samey) and does not mess about with atmospheres, interludes or builds. With the exception of the 4 1/2 minute title track, the 10 track are all 2-3 minutes of razor sharp riffs, blasts and a few obligatory lurches (mainly the sole controlled track “Thy Portal”  but with  particularly impressive ones coming at the start of “Gateways to Condemnation” and at end of the aforementioned album closer).

Admittedly, Serve No One isn’t going to be on many year end lists for 2012 or elbow its way into the upper echelons of Polish death metal, but those looking for a less obvious dose of Polish death metal efficiency should definitely enjoy the likes of throttling opener “Total Terror”, “Sacrilege”, “Cut the Throat” and “Desecration of the Holy Kingdom”.

 

[Visit the band's website]

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